


Condition: Human

by a_quick_drink



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Rare Characters, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-03 22:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10259771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_quick_drink/pseuds/a_quick_drink
Summary: For freelancers Larkin and Corrigan, a straightforward job to retrieve valuable data from a backwater world quickly turns complicated when they encounter the local wildlife--intent on making them dinner--and an obnoxious rival looking to get even. They'll have to put differences aside, though, when they make an unexpected discovery that affects them all.





	

Larkin held his breath as he tapped in the code his partner had supplied to hopefully bypass the room's security panel. Corrigan excelled at figuring out difficult tech puzzles Larkin couldn't even begin to understand, but these high-end systems challenged even him and he hadn't been able to say with complete certainty that his code would work. For the data they'd been hired to acquire, the promised payday made it worth the risk coming all this way just to try.

A long second later the blinking red light switched to solid green and he blew out a relieved sigh. "I'm in," he said into his comm.

"Finally," Corrigan said into his ear from the other end. "Now hurry it up. I'm getting a bad feeling about how easy this has been."

"You worry too much, babe," Larkin said, smiling at Corrigan's frustrated little huff in response. He wouldn't admit it under the current circumstances, but his boyfriend was right. They didn't get hired for easy jobs, so it was only a matter of time before their luck changed, though by what he didn't know nor did he want to find out.

Larkin crept into the dark room, sweeping his light over the broken surfaces. Wires hung eerily from the ceiling, some like low hanging vines waiting to grab him if he didn't pay attention to where he was going. Debris crunched under his boots. He wrinkled his nose at the scent of mildew as he stepped over a large piece of rubble from where the wall had crumbled.

"How's it look down there?" Corrigan asked.

"Dark. Creepy." A flash of movement drew his attention. He spun around, but the shadows were empty. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "Like there's something in here that wants to eat me."

Corrigan made a soft purring sound that curled around his gut. "That's just you remembering the other night."

Larkin hummed as he wiped a thick layer of dust off a computer screen with his hand. "We should do that again, after we're done here," he said casually, thanking his lucky stars when the console powered on. The screen flickered to life and prompted him for a password.

"Gonna get on your knees for me first?"

"Anything you want," Larkin drawled, smiling to himself as he tapped in the code supplied by their employer before inserting a empty data chit into the machine. "Now quit distracting me when I'm working."

Corrigan's voice turned serious. "You found a working console?"

"For now." They'd found the electricity in the building was spotty at best when it did work, so he wasn't counting on the luxury of time to get the data transferred--if they could at all. "Downloading pretty slowly, though," Larkin said, frowning at the status bar. Any progress was better than nothing, but the uneasy feeling of not being alone down here made him wish the computer would hurry the fuck up so they could leave already.

Larkin aimed his light at the hole in the wall. He'd missed them before, but now he noticed rust colored smears staining the floor and chunks of debris, a gruesome trail leading into the room beyond that made his skin crawl.

He glanced back at the screen. _50% complete._

"Did they ever mention why nobody made it back, and I somehow ignored that little detail?" Larkin asked.

"No, why?"

Larkin stared at the largest stain on the floor. "'Cause it looks like something got killed in here. And then dragged off into wherever this hole in the wall leads to."

"It was probably just some wild animals that got in and tangled over something," Corrigan explained calmly.

It was a reasonable explanation considering the building had been left in ruins for years after the earthquake that'd shaken it apart, but it also meant any of the local wildlife, from all levels of the food chain, could be residing here. But they weren't getting paid well because some canines were in here tearing up fluffy little herbivores--something much bigger had to be in here.

"Ok, yeah, I see what you-- Oh, shit."

The terror in Corrigan voice made Larkin's blood go cold. "What's wrong?"

Corrigan's voice strained on the response. "Rachs."

Larkin swore under his breath. "Get back to the ship," he barked at Corrigan. "I'll be right behind you."

"But--"

" _Now_."

The specifics of whatever Corrigan had seen didn't matter to him--nobody without a death wish messed with rachs. The giant arthropods were foul-tempered beasts with claws of steel and an appetite for any warm body slower than them; it was only a matter of time before they got added to the menu.

There was a whistle behind him and Larkin spun around, pistol drawn. "Leckie," he hissed, "what are you doing here?"

Leckie held up the chit between his fingers to taunt him. "Making up for the last two marks you stole from me. Must be worth plenty if you're here."

Larkin holstered the gun, though he still had an urge to punch the lop-sided grin from his rival's face. They didn't have time to mess around, not when two large heat signatures so close together would be irresistible to the rachs. "Not my fault you're slow."

Corrigan interrupted before Leckie could fire back a retort.

"Lark, you need to get out of there. There's something headed your way."

"Leckie's here, so it's probably just Smith."

"Not unless he's put on a few hundred pounds."

Larkin groaned. Of course it wasn't Smith, that'd be too easy. One rach he could deal with, it was the niggling thought in the back of his mind that where one lived meant there were plenty more nearby. He glanced between Leckie and the doorway. "But Leckie's got the chit."

At his name, Leckie eyed Larkin curiously. Larkin stared back, sizing him up. What Leckie had on him in terms of height and speed he more than made up for in brute strength and stamina. He'd taken the punk before and he'd gladly do it again if that's what it came to.

"So we'll get it from them later, but you need to get out of there _now_ , or I'm going back in there and dragging you out myself."

"Alright, alright--I'm leaving." Right after he got the chit back. No way was it leaving with Leckie, not when it'd finally pay off the debt that'd hounded them for years, and leave them with enough leftover to remember what it felt like not having to worry about how they'd afford their next meal or spare part to keep their ancient ship running. They'd run themselves ragged getting this far and like hell he'd let anyone steal that reprieve from them.

Clutching the chit in his fist, Leckie took a step backward as Larkin advanced. "Well it was nice seeing you again, but I really should be going," Leckie said as he cut Larkin a hasty salute. "Tell Corrigan I said 'hi'."

Larkin snagged him by the collar and yanked him back, clucking his tongue. "Forgetting something, Lucky?"

Larkin was ready for the punch. He wasn't ready for getting swept off his feet. He grabbed onto Leckie for support but fell anyway, taking Leckie with him, grunting as he took the brunt of the fall on his shoulder. The chit flew out of Leckie's hand and landed on the floor, out of reach. Leckie drew back to punch him and Larkin bucked under him, flipping them over and scrambling over a metal grate separating them from the chit. His fingertips brushed its edge. Just a little further.

Leckie flopped on top of him and slapped a hand over the chit just as the grate creaked and groaned under their combined weight. They froze. Larkin held his breath, trying not to think about Leckie on top of him like a suffocating, itchy blanket that made him want to squirm away and claw at his skin. The grate shifted.

"On the count of three, we roll to the right--and never speak of this again. Got it?" Larkin asked.

Leckie's fingers dug into his shoulders. "Yeah," he croaked.

"One. Tw--"

The fall was so quick that Larkin didn't have time to process what was happening until blinding pain shot through his body when he landed on something solid. That he felt anything at all was something, he supposed. He took a quick inventory of his body, flexing and twisting until he was satisfied nothing seemed broken or paralyzed.

"Thanks for breaking my fall," Leckie said, not sounding the least bit thankful as he sat up and put his full weight on Larkin's hips.

Larkin shoved him off, smiling to himself at Leckie's yelp when he fell over the side and hit the ground. Let the little shit hurt for awhile. Served him right for trying to poach this job.

His momentary good mood disappeared when Corrigan's worried voice crackled in his ear. "You dropped off the scanners. Where are you?"

Larkin stared up at the hole in the ceiling that'd once been covered by the grate. "We, uh, we fell through the floor," he said lamely. Definitely not one of his prouder moments, and one he most certainly didn't want to share with Leckie of all people.

"You...what?" Corrigan asked in disbelief. "Nevermind. I'm getting Smith. We'll figure something out."

Making a face, Larkin rolled onto his side, biting his lip to keep the pained whimper stuck in his throat. He'd been through worse, he reminded himself, though it was small comfort when both his body and pride were badly bruised. He blew out a shaky breath and looked down. Making out the features of a human face on the other side of the translucent surface, he launched himself off whatever it was they'd landed on and stumbled to his knees as he tried to keep a wide berth. There went what was left of his dignity.

Leckie snickered. "Didn't know you were afraid of the dark."

"I'm not," Larkin growled. "There's someone in there." He pointed his light at the case and shuddered. There were a dozen of the partially translucent cases separated into three rows, several of which that'd been smashed open by large chunks of debris.

"Should probably check that out then," Leckie said without any intention of moving. Seeming to sense his reticence with getting anywhere near it, Leckie patted him on the arm. "I'll hold your hand if you're scared."

Larkin punched him in the arm, earning a satisfying squawk. If Corrigan were there, Larkin could imagine him rolling his eyes at their antics. He didn't understand the animosity between them, and to be honest, Larkin could no longer remember exactly what had started it. The rivalry had been ongoing for years, and felt more like old habit than anything else, that made for a fun challenge under better circumstances.

Together they did a quick sweep for signs of rachs but found nothing. Larkin aimed his light at the broken ceiling where several openings had been made, none that seemed large enough for an adult rach to squeeze through. Juveniles might be able to fit, but they'd never be able to climb the bare metal walls.

He was halfway to meeting Leckie at one of the cases when the ground trembled under his feet and a fine grit rained down from the ceiling. A moment later he heard Corrigan and Smith in his ear, whooping in joy. Glancing at Leckie to see if he'd heard it too, they shared an amused look. One rach down.

Leckie wiped a hand over one case before moving on to another, shining his light into each. His brows knitted together. "What is this place?"

Peering into the case they'd landed on, Larkin shook his head. "Storage of some kind, I guess." Inside was a human male of roughly his age, with ashy blond hair swept back to reveal a scar at his temple. Thin IV tubes ran from his hands and elbows. It looked like he was sleeping peacefully in suspended animation, though there were no signs he might actually be alive. Larkin ran his hands all over the box until a dim display lit up in the corner. _AAH08222117. KIA:2144_

He checked the others in the row and found similar details: a lengthy code for what he guessed were initials and birth date, and a killed in action date. His gut churned. All were marines who'd served at the same time as him, but none he'd encountered personally during that time. Would this have been his fate if he'd been killed too, left in cryosleep in the basement of a mystery facility on some backwater planet? Had they known this would happen? Did their families know? What was being done to them?

The spiral of questions in his mind was cut off by Leckie's strangled cry from behind him. Larkin turned and watched him cover his mouth with a shaky hand. Wet streaks stained his dirty cheeks. When he moved his hand, Larkin saw his lips move but was too far away to hear what he was saying. He gave Leckie a minute before going over to see what he'd found.

Studying the face of a stranger who reminded him somewhat of Leckie, Larkin asked, "Who was he?"

"Our friend. He got wounded pretty bad, and that was the last we saw of him. Never heard one way or the other."

Larkin reached for him, hesitating before giving Leckie's shoulder a quick squeeze. He couldn't imagine what it was like to discover a friend's fate years later, to find them here of all places, when they so easily could've left without knowing this existed.

"You think he's alive?"

"I-- I don't know." To Larkin's knowledge there was no technology that could bring someone back to life, though he couldn't imagine what purpose anyone would have preserving people in secret.

A pair of lights beamed down from where they'd fallen through, followed by a rope. "Time to go," Corrigan announced. "Bought ourselves some time, but woke the neighbors in the process and, wow, are they pissed."

Leckie turned to Larkin, sadness and fear swirling in his eyes. "We can't leave them here."

"We don't know how any of this works." Larkin waved a hand at the cryo chambers surrounding them. "We can't just open them, and take them with us without knowing what'll happen."

"But it's not safe to leave them."

Larkin wouldn't argue with him on that point. The place was unstable and the ceiling would likely fall if there was another earthquake. It was a miracle any cryo chambers had survived the first quake that'd taken this place down, but he doubted any would make it through another. Larkin chewed his lip, trying to think of a compromise that'd satisfy Leckie enough that they could leave. "Do you have the chit?" he asked.

Leckie's expression morphed into anger. "You're worried about that damn chit at a time like this?"

"That damn chit hopefully has something on it that'll explain what all this is. We get out of here, check it, and figure out what to do from there." Larkin softened his tone. "We won't forget about them, but we can't do anything if we're dead too."

"Lark, come on."

"We'll rendezvous at Rivitica," Larkin said as he grabbed Leckie by the arm and hauled him away. The nearby station would give them a chance to unwind while they sifted through the data and came up with a new strategy. He hoped to be able to get a motel room so he and Corrigan could get away from the ship for awhile, but he wasn't holding his breath, not when their windfall had just blown away.

The climb back up hurt only slightly less than the landing had, and every joint and muscle in Larkin's body was screaming for relief by the time he made it up. His arms refused to get him any farther, and Corrigan and Smith had to haul him up the rest of the way. Leckie fared better, though his blue eyes looked pale and haunted.

Corrigan threw his arms around Larkin and pulled him into a hug, his body trembling. "You okay?" he whispered.

Larkin rubbed Corrigan's back until he stilled. "I am now," he purred, burying his nose in the crook of Corrigan's neck. Everything still hurt, more so with Corrigan squeezing him, but he wouldn't complain.

On the other side of the wall, the unhappy screeches of hungry rachs being denied a feast cut the reunion short. The wall held while the rachs slammed themselves into it, but it wouldn't last forever. Outside the room, Larkin noticed a pile of rubble that hadn't been there before, reaching to the ceiling and blocking off the hallway to the left. Must have been the result of the explosion Corrigan and Smith had set off earlier.

"Rivitica?" Leckie shouted at him before they had to split up to get to their ships. Larkin gave him a thumbs up before he and Smith disappeared around a corner.

Corrigan ducked under a fallen pillar separating them from the outside. "What was that about?"

A blast of warm air hit Larkin in the face as they made it back out into the sunshine. "Job's changed," he panted. "I'll explain on the way."

* * *

Several hours later the four of them had gathered around a vid display in a shabby motel room, unable to find words for what they were watching. From what Larkin could tell, the data he'd gotten was a record of all the experiments done in what was a legitimate military-funded facility, documented in painstaking detail that left him with no doubt these experiments could be replicated by anyone with pockets deep enough to afford all the necessary staff and equipment.

Of interest to them, though, was the glut of data within a folder titled only 'Lazarus'. The goal of those experiments was to reanimate the lifeless bodies of soldiers killed in combat, optimized with new skills and longer lives thanks to synthetic organs and cybernetics. Of the hundreds of soldiers used, nearly three-quarters had failed to be revived in any lasting fashion. The remaining quarter was soldiers on the verge of being revived, including those they'd found, and only a handful who had woken. Records on the whereabouts of the survivors were absent from the folder, leading him to wonder what else was missing.

Watching the footage made Larkin sick to his stomach. Nothing on the chit was information just anyone should have. He could imagine this falling into the hands of warlords and kingpins wanting to use the data to revive allies who deserved to be dead for good, people who ultimately would've gotten the data if they'd gone through with selling the chit like planned.

The video cut to a different test subject and Larkin swore the air had been sucked out of the room in that moment. There was no mistaking the mess of auburn curls or constellation of tiny moles dotting a pale shoulder. Beside him, Corrigan tensed as he watched the scientists poke and prod at his lifeless body, inserting tubes and injecting who knew what into them. His eyes were glued to the display as he watched himself get cut open, as organs were removed and replaced with lab-grown versions, and patches inserted. His only reaction was touching his side where the original damage had been done, but Larkin wanted to throw up.

"I wasn't killed in the war--I was released on a medical discharge." Corrigan's voice sounded distant and lost, making Larkin's heart hurt. He didn't understand either, but it was hard denying it when he was watching what was very clearly his boyfriend being dissected by strangers.

"Which is apparently code for 'lab rat'," Smith muttered. Leckie shivered beside him on the far end of the couch.

"I wasn't killed," Corrigan tried again, as though saying it enough times would make it true.

After several more minutes Corrigan handed the remote to Smith and got up from the couch, dazed, and retreated to the adjoining room. Larkin followed.

"How could I have died when I don't remember it?" Corrigan asked when the door slid shut behind Larkin. "I remember getting hit and being in that hospital, but nothing in between. It was just routine recovery as far as I knew."

Larkin sat down beside him on the edge of the bed, reaching for Corrigan's hand and holding it between his own. "I don't know. Maybe you intentionally put it out of your mind. Or that's part of the process because they knew survivors couldn't handle it. Might explain some of your nightmares."

In retrospect, it might also explain his tech skills. Corrigan had always been smart, much more so than him, but there was an ease and finesse to his work that Larkin didn't remember him having prior to getting hit. When they'd finally reunited, he hadn't questioned the change, chalking it up to practice in the time they were apart.

"If they could do that, what if they altered the rest of my memories too?"

Larkin hummed. "Do you remember how we met?" It'd been a couple years before everything happened, so he hoped remembering that was an indicator that the rest of Corrigan's memories might otherwise be intact.

There was a smile in Corrigan's voice. "You walked into that wall in the rec room when you saw me."

They'd only been friends with occasional benefits in those days, too busy leading separate teams to have anything more than a rare night alone. Then Corrigan had been hurt, they lost contact, and whatever they'd had slowly faded into a bittersweet memory. War had a way of changing people, though, and it came as no surprise to him that Corrigan might want to take the out as a way to cut ties altogether with anything that reminded him of his time in service, Larkin included. Nothing personal, but it'd still hurt.

Larkin gave his hand a squeeze. "See? You do remember something. Bet there's plenty of other things you remember, you just haven't had a reason to think about them."

"Okay, but what about physically then? How much of me is still...me?" Turning over his free hand, Corrigan stared at his palm. "Am I even human anymore?"

"Would knowing the answer change anything?"

"I...I don't know. But it's strange to think my body's not entirely my own anymore." Corrigan worried his lip between his teeth. "What if you don't want whatever I am?"

Larkin's chest tightened. "Hugh..." He slid off the bed and knelt in front of Corrigan so he was forced to finally meet Larkin's eyes. "Of course you're still human. And this doesn't change the way I feel about you. The things that really make you who you are--the things I fell in love with--are all still there." He patted Corrigan's knee and smiled up at him. "I'm not going anywhere, babe."

A weak smile curved Corrigan's lips, and Larkin pushed himself up to meet them in a tender kiss. Whatever those scientists may or may not have done didn't register in Larkin's brain because all he felt was the same zing of electricity through his body when those soft, pliant lips moved against his.

Several beats of silence passed before Corrigan murmured, "You know, this isn't what I had in mind when I asked if you'd get on your knees for me."

Huffing a laugh, Larkin slid his hands under Corrigan's thighs and lifted him, shifting him backwards on the bed before climbing up after him and settling between his legs. "How about this?" he asked, leaning over for another kiss. His entire body felt stiff and sore, but it didn't bother him so much when Corrigan was laid out underneath him, looking at him with that contented expression that made his stomach flip. They had found each other in the end and Corrigan had still wanted him, even years later.

A mischievous glint lit Corrigan's eyes as he shook his head. "But I like this too."

Humming a positive note, Larkin sat up to ease the strain on his back and shoulders. "We should probably get back out there," he said slowly, rubbing Corrigan's knees and watching him for a reaction. "Sooner we figure out what to do with that chit, sooner we can get back here and I can show you just how much I love you the way you are."

Grinning, Corrigan sat up and rested his forehead on Larkin's shoulder. "You think we can get them out of there alive?"

"Don't know, but first we need to get that data into the hands of someone who could wake them up." Larkin wrapped his arms around Corrigan's shoulders. "Bet they've all got someone still waiting for them too."

"Then I hope they're as lucky as me," Corrigan said, patting Larkin's chest and making his cheeks go warm. "You're a good man, Lark."

Larkin huffed. "Just don't tell Leckie about that, okay?"

Corrigan rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smirk. "God forbid he think you're anything but an asshole." He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and got up, pulling Larkin up after him and into a hug.

They were about to go in the red again, but Larkin could no longer find it in himself to care, nor did he care whether Corrigan was more synthetic than not; they'd get through all this eventually. Money and things could be replaced, but not the man who'd always seen him for who he really was and inspired him to be a better person.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this story, please take a moment to leave a kudos and/or comment. The support is greatly appreciated. :)


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